Flames

Pregnant Pause, part 1

Like so many other things about their relationship, the first pregnancy test was a badly kept secret. Becky had bought it on their way back from working out, tucking it in her shopping basket under some mint chocolates so Seth hopefully wouldn't notice. Since she was only a few days late, she didn't want to get his hopes up. When he went to take the basket from her at the till, though, she balked. "I forgot soap," she lied. "You go through. I'll be right back." That, of course, necessitated a dash to the soap aisle, and she grabbed the first familiar brand she saw. On a whim, she went back to the pregnancy tests and grabbed two more—different brands, just in case.

By the time she returned, Seth had already gone through and was waiting with his bags on the other side. Bless social distancing, Becky thought as she started loading her items onto the counter, positioning the pregnancy test boxes behind taller items. Hiding them back at home would be a challenge, but she would rather spring the news on him there than at a random store. Although given everything else in our relationship, Becky thought, that would fit right in.

When the cashier noticed the tests, her lips quirked in a smile and she reached under the till, discreetly sliding the boxes into a smaller bag once she had scanned them. She left it off to the side until she noticed that Seth had been distracted by something outside, then handed it to Becky quickly. "Hope you get the answer you're looking for," she whispered.

Becky smiled as she stuffed the small bag in her purse; it was a tight fit, but unless she asked Seth to go in her purse, they would be safe there. "Thanks." The rest of the transaction went normally and she grabbed her bags, thanking the cashier again as she went over to Seth. "Sorry about that. I know we have enough at home, but I figured a spare one wouldn't hurt." Thinking about the extra test kits she bought, she did her best not to laugh.

"No worries." Seth kissed the top of her head before taking her bags and loading them in the back of the SUV. "Any other place you want to stop before we head home?"

"No, I'm good." It was a struggle not to constantly look at her purse. The rustling of the bag felt deafening to her, but Seth didn't seem to notice it at all, and she forced herself to leave her purse in her spare room and go about the rest of the day like normal. When Seth was video-chatting with his brother, Becky joined in for a bit and then excused herself, shutting the spare room door behind her. "In the morning? Fuck." Becky shut her eyes, wishing she had paid more attention to the instructions. Apparently the hormone detected by the test was strongest during the first urination of the morning, so she would have to find a way to sneak the box into the bathroom. After tucking the two spare tests down at the bottom of one of her storage bins—Here's hoping I remember which one, she thought—she took the remaining box and the bag, hiding them in the guest bathroom. If he sees it, she mused, maybe he'll just think it's a fancy toothbrush.

The next morning, even though her bladder felt like it was about to burst, Becky waited until Seth got up to go to the bathroom and then waited another minute more. "Babe! Really gotta pee!" she called out. "Be right back!" She heard Seth call out something about almost being done, but she raced to the guest bathroom and shut the door so fast she almost caught her fingers. Hands shaking, she opened the box, put all the garbage in the tiny shopping bag, and read the instructions. How hard can this be? she thought, trying to position the stick before she started to pee.

More difficult than she thought, apparently. She hadn't brought a watch or her phone in with her, so Becky had to roughly count off three minutes on her own. It meant her hands were impeccably washed afterwards and she knew exactly which eyebrow hairs were in need of a trim, because there wasn't a whole lot else to do while waiting. Somewhere after the two-minute mark, she flushed the toilet so Seth wouldn't be too suspicious, but when it came time to read the results, the answer on the display was inconclusive. "Shit."